The family of a 20-year-old woman killed in a high-speed crash have expressed outrage after the driver responsible escaped punishment due to an obscure law dating back to 1836. Sophie Brimble died when her boyfriend Jay Bayliss, now 32, crashed into a lamppost while driving at nearly three times the speed limit in Brynmawr, Wales, in July 2017.
Bayliss was charged with causing death by dangerous driving but was ruled unfit to stand trial due to injuries sustained in the crash. A trial of facts at Newport Crown Court found him jointly responsible for Sophie's death, but the judge issued an absolute discharge under the 1836 legislation, meaning no penalty was imposed and Bayliss retained his driving licence. The court deemed the ordeal of proceedings as punishment enough.
Sophie's mother, Ruth Jenkins, 56, described the outcome as 'heartbreaking' and criticised the archaic law. 'He is living the life of Riley. He still gets to celebrate birthdays and Christmas and Sophie is gone. This law is nearly 200 years old... We want to change the law so people can't get away with it,' she said. Her sister Chloe Brimble, 26, added: 'If he wasn't able to stand a trial due to brain injury he shouldn't be capable to drive a car.'
In contrast, the other driver involved, Neil Brooks, 49, was jailed for eight years in 2019 for causing death by dangerous driving and received a five-year driving ban. The family have launched a petition demanding legal reform, feeling that Sophie's life 'didn't matter in the eyes of the law'.
